Sadly the reign of Simon Sweeney did not last long - less than a year to be precise. Urged on by out of date reports we turned up one evening having made a booking with what, on reflection, seemed to be impressive ease, only to find that he had put 12,500 miles between himself and Bay View for warmer climes.

Rendered supine by a grey, dank evening well laced with torrential rain, the sight of London Pride on draught and the previous evening's appalling skewered prawns that really should have gone back, we decided to take the easy option. Starters of sautéed chicken livers and a terrine of pigeon's breast suggested cautious approval of what was to come, the lobster mornay. Sadly the impetus was lost. The lobsters had certainly not succumbed to obesity and what modest flesh there was had been deprived of its moisture and flavour by overcooking which had also hardened the mornay into a resistant crust.

A somewhat austere menu yielded one pudding worthy of attention, whilst I chose to test the capabilities of the kitchen in the area of savouries. It duly arrived in fine fettle and I found myself regretting the same skills could not have been applied to the mornayed lobsters.

My Chilean Merlot - yes, I know you may regard this as a strange accompaniment - was good, and in the circumstances not so inappropriate as some might wish to suggest. But the star of the event was our waitress, a typical young student earning some pin money, who looked after us in a way which transformed a less than auspicious evening into a cheerful meeting of three people. Between us we made an otherwise empty restaurant a place of friendship and good will.

Little evidence remains of the Michelin star that Simon brought to Bay View, but the potential remains for the sort of operation he created, proving yet again that to give people what they want at prices they can afford is an unbeatable formula. Celebrity chefs please note.